Death Eaters' Child
by tjwhermione
Summary: Celestia Dolohov is seven years old. She does not know that her parents are Death Eaters until the plan to bring Harry Potter into the Ministry of Magic succeeds. Antonin is caught, but what will happen when the Ministry of Magic comes to look for her mot
1. Chapter 1

A/N: most of the characters and ideas are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them…This is my first fic, but be warned: it contains a lot of spoilers from the fifth and sixth books…Enjoy!

"Mummy, where's Daddy? He's late…," seven-year-old Celestia Dolohov asked her mother, Sacharissa.

"Your daddy's been busy at…er…his work, Celestia," her mother answered hesitantly. _That is perfectly true,_ she tried to persuade herself. _Antonin _has_ been busy, lately._

Antonin Dolohov, Death Eater, murderer of the Prewetts, was married and had a young child; like many of the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Sacharissa Dolohov was also a Death Eater, but ever since Celestia was born she had to stay home to take care of her. She was also pregnant, and her husband wanted her to stay home whenever the Dark Lord called for them while he went to the meetings. That was where Antonin was now, and Sacharissa was waiting for him to return and tell her everything that happened, there.

Celestia, on the other hand, didn't know of her parents' criminal whereabouts. She knew nothing about the outside world because she was always kept inside their basement apartment. They were quite poor and Celestia spent every day listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network or playing with old toys. Today, she was with her mother in the kitchen, watching as she prepared supper for Antonin.

"Daddy's probably out buying my birthday present. Do you think that's why he's so late, Mummy?" Celestia asked, but Sacharissa wasn't paying attention.

She read a line aloud from the book sitting open in front of her entitled Enchantment in Baking. Sacharissa bewitched some eggs to crack themselves into the bowl of pancake mix.

Celestia went to the other side of the table and brushed her blond ringlets out of her eyes.

"Can I help?" she asked.

"You don't have a wand," her mother answered without looking up.

"I know…I don't need one," the little girl said cheerfully. She picked up an egg in each hand.

"Celestia, NO!" Sacharissa yelled, but too late, Celestia dropped the eggs into the bowl, shells and all.

Sacharissa, already furious about her husband's late arrival, was now seething. She grabbed her daughter's wrists, but before she could do anything, the door in the living room opened.

"DADDY!" Celestia shouted, and bolted from the room.

Standing in the doorway, hidden under his black hood, was Antonin. Celestia launched herself at him and hugged his legs (the only part of him she could reach). Her father patted her head, awkwardly. He had never wanted a child, because, according to Lucius Malfoy, they were a lot of work to keep around, especially when they were young. But once Sacharissa was pregnant, there was nothing he could do. _I'll be getting another one soon, _he sighed inwardly.

"Daddy, you look funny!" the little girl giggled, pointing to Antonin's hood.

Antonin quickly yanked off the hood and removed his daughter from around his legs.

"It's my work uniform, Celestia," he said, gruffly. He and his wife had agreed early on that whenever Antonin went to meet with the Dark Lord, they would say he was going to 'work' so Celestia wouldn't get suspicious.

Antonin started when Sacharissa came into the room, holding her bulging stomach. He came over to her and, indicating her stomach, asked, "How are you?"

"Fine," she hissed back, still angry about her husband's tardiness. "What took you so long?"

Antonin inclined his head warningly toward their daughter who was staring at them intently.

"Celestia, why don't you go in your room while Daddy and I talk?" she suggested.

The little girl hung her head, feeling excluded, and went to her bedroom. She sat on her bed and turned on the WWN. The moving posters of the Tutshill Tornados zoomed in and out of sight, their sky-blue robes blurs against the picture of the Quidditch field. Her toy chest was given to her parents before she was born by the Malfoy family, but now the red paint was chipping and the hinges were rusty.

Celestia listened to the song called "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" by Celestina Warbeck.

_Oh, come and stir my cauldron,_

_And if you do it right,_

_I'll boil you up some hot strong love_

_To keep you warm tonight._

She had heard this song three times already today. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked at the ceiling. Celestia could hear her parents' voices from the opposite side of the wall. How she wished she wished she could hear what they were saying…

She crept out of her room and stood by the door of her parents' bedroom to eavesdrop.

"It's all set…the Dark Lord knows exactly what to do…we'll be stationed in the Department of Mysteries…," Celestia heard her father's voice.

"Are you sure that this plan will work?" came Sacharissa's voice, quiet and fearful.

"Rissa, don't doubt the Dark Lord's plan. If he says it will work, it will work…" Antonin said sharply, though there was a slight hint of doubt in his voice.

Celestia was very confused. She didn't know who the Dark Lord was nor did she understand the 'plan' Antonin talked of.

"What if Potter doesn't show?" Sacharissa asked.

"He will show, Rissa. The Dark Lord has found a way to make him think Black is in trouble…Ever since Potter helped that idiot Weasley, the Dark Lord has found out that he is mentally connected to him. He will do anything to help Black."

None of this made sense to Celestia. Who were these 'Potter' and 'Black' characters? She didn't know, and before she could think of a reasonable conclusion, her father started talking again.

"It's set for Thursday," Antonin announced.

Celestia gasped. Thursday was her eighth birthday and Antonin was supposed to stay home for the occasion. Instead, he would be doing this 'plan' he talked of. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of how little she saw of her father. She hiccupped loudly.

Antonin must have heard the noise, for at that moment, the door opened and Sacharissa and Antonin came out. One look at their daughter told them that she had heard their conversation.

"Celestia," Antonin started sternly. He reached down and snatched his daughter by the wrist. Celestia was dragged to her room and Antonin punished her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Again, I must put in that these characters and ideas are not mine…Their J.K. Rowling's. Please **_read and review_**! Thank you!

Celestia was sentenced to stay in her room and her parents relocated their conversation to the living room where she couldn't hear them.

"Open! _Open_! OPEN!" Celestia yelled as she turned the doorknob, but it was no use. Antonin had placed a locking charm on the door.

She kicked and punched at the door, and eventually gave into a temper tantrum that had her screaming and thrashing on the floor.

"Celestia, stop NOW!" her father yelled and banged on the door with his fist.

Just that sound was enough to make her stop. Actually, it was a relief to stop. She rubbed the sore spots on her bottom where her father had smacked her and shivered.

Celestia remembered the time when it was just her and her mother. Antonin had come just after Christmas this year. She remembered that night very vividly. Her mother had woken her at four in the morning, telling her over and over that "her daddy was finally here," with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. It had been the greatest Christmas present Celestia could ever imagine, mostly because of her mother's happiness, but soon the novelty wore off. It became clear over time that Antonin had no idea how to take care of a child, let alone his own, and soon resorted to cruelty as his guide.

Celestia touched her sensitive skin and flinched. She was terrified of her father, but she always tried to show him affection…she was just waiting for him to show some back.

She trudged forlornly to her bed and switched on the WWN.

_Oh, come and stir my cauldron,_

_And if you do it right—_

"Ugh!" she said and turned it off. She wished the Weird Sisters were on or the Hobgoblins.

Celestia lay on her stomach on her bed. She watched the Tutshill Tornados' team fly in and out of sight on the poster on her wall. It was a while before she noticed that it was getting dark in the tiny room. A candle was lit next to the WWN, but the light was so dim she couldn't see much.

Celestia wished she could hear the rest of her parents' conversation. What were they talking about? Probably Antonin's "job" on Thursday.

That reminded her of her birthday on Thursday. She hoped becoming eight years old would be different than being seven. What did she want, anyway? Maybe toys…clothes…She usually got good toys from the Malfoys.

Her mother had promised that she could have cake and a party for her birthday. She promised she would get presents, too…and her father would come.

Celestia choked back a sob.

Her parents were always breaking promises. They ignored her more often now than before…or maybe they always did but she just didn't notice…

The little girl brushed away the tears that streaked her cheeks.

"What I want is for my parents to love me…" And with that last thought, Celestia fell asleep.

The next day when Celestia woke up, she found that her door was unlocked. When she entered the kitchen her father was home, not at his "job" like he always was. Sacharissa was scooping pancakes and putting them on three mismatched plates. Both of her parents were also surprisingly pleasant. Usually they held a grudge when Celestia did something wrong, especially her father.

"Good morning, Celestia," Sacharissa said.

"Good morning," Antonin said, giving her a false grin from the top of the _Daily Prophet_.

Celestia grinned broadly and embraced her father in a tight hug. _My wish came true!_ she thought excitedly.

Antonin patted her awkwardly and then pushed her towards her mother. The little girl, suddenly in a very good mood, pressed her ear against Sacharissa's large stomach. Her mother stumbled.

"Celestia—!" she exclaimed, almost dropping the plates she was holding.

"How's my baby sister, Mummy?" Celestia asked, for she was convinced her baby sibling would be a girl.

"Fine," her mother lied. Sacharissa's concern showed on her face at that moment. She remembered last night and the conversation she had had with her husband in the living room.

"Where will I have this baby, Antonin? I can't just stroll into St. Mungo's…not while they're…still looking for you," she had asked Antonin.

"Don't worry, Rissa. Everything's taken care of. The Malfoys know someone that used to work at St. Mungo's. You'll be fine…" But Sacharissa didn't think so.

Celestia's ear was still against her stomach when she was jogged from her thoughts. Just the thought of her daughter reminded her of the other half of her conversation with Antonin. To remind her husband, she gave him a curt nod.

Antonin sighed. Sacharissa had decided last night that Celestia needed fresh air and that being constantly cooped up in the house wasn't helping her. They had argued for what seemed like hours.

"I can't go out of the house. Not now while I'm pregnant. Take her to the city tomorrow…You said you had to go, anyway," Sacharissa had said.

"To Knockturn Alley?" Antonin had exclaimed incredulously. "I can't take a child there!"

"Yes, you can. She's your daughter, Antonin. She's your responsibility, too. And besides, you just arrived. Bond with her," Sacharissa persisted.

Antonin looked at his daughter now, the false grin playing on his lips again.

"Celestia, why don't you go with me to do some errands today?" he asked, and gave his wife a strangled look.

The little girl bounced up and down with excitement.

"Really, Daddy?" she exclaimed, squeezing his chest. "Thank you!"

"Go get your cloak. We'll leave right after breakfast."

His daughter hastened to do his bidding. She hadn't been out of the apartment since her father came home, many months ago and she couldn't wait to see the outside world again.

Celestia was standing next to her father in the alleyway of Knockturn Alley ten minutes later. The street was deserted and no one seemed to be in sight, but Celestia was too excited to care. Nothing could spoil her happiness, not even the musty smell of the street.

Antonin wore his Death Eater hood again, which covered most of his face.

"Celestia, you'd better be on your best behavior. This will not take long—"

"Oh, Daddy, are we getting my birthday presents?" Celestia asked happily.

"Celestia," he started, hoping things would go faster this way, "your birthday's coming up soon. You'll get your presents, then. What are you turning, anyway? Six? Seven?"

"Eight," Celestia answered. _I'm just small for my age…anyone could make that mistake, _she tried to convince herself, but it made the joy deflate a bit inside of her.

"Ah, here we are," Antonin said, indicating a small, grungy building to the right. The sign read Borgin and Burkes.

He stopped walking and turned to the girl who was holding his hand.

"Celestia, I'm going inside this shop. I'll be just a minute," he let go of her hand and positioned her so that she was standing against the shop. "Stay right here, against this wall."

With that, Antonin left his daughter.

Celestia leaned against the wall and looked at her surroundings. Opposite her was another shop; this one held shrunken heads in the window. She gasped and looked away.

A minute went by…Five minutes…Ten minutes…Finally, Antonin returned. He knelt down beside her and shoved a hand into his pocket. He took out a silver sickle and put it in Celestia's hand.

"There. This is a Sickle. Go and spend it any way you like. Consider it a present from me," Antonin said, standing up again. "Stay in Knockturn Alley. I'll come get you when I'm done."

And he went back inside the shop.

Celestia, holding more money in her hand than she ever had in her life, looked around. To her right was the other half of Knockturn Alley, and to the left, Diagon Alley. Celestia, not knowing which one was which, quickly decided against looking down the dark alley she now stood in, for it was scary and unfamiliar. Diagon Alley looked brighter and cheerier.

She started down the street and in no time came across an open area filled with shops and light. There were people on this street, more people than Celestia could ever remember seeing. It was probably because she just came from an area where there were no people or because she had been locked away in her apartment for so long; but whatever the reason, the little girl was amazed.

There were people chatting among themselves, people coming from shops and standing outside of them, and people with their purchases. The ones that weren't laughing and having a good time looked wary, and every once in a while glanced quickly over their shoulder as if expecting someone to come up unexpectedly. Celestia studied these wizards and witches with great interest.

"Why are they so scared?" I asked myself, expecting an answer to pop out of the blue.

To her surprise, it did.

She finally realized what most of the 'scared people' were looking at. Large black-and-white posters lined the walls of the buildings. Celestia got closer to one in particular. It contained a scowling woman with heavily-lidded eyelids.

"No wonder they're so scared. That lady looks nasty," she said.

Above the picture was the word WANTED in large letters.

"Wow," Celestia exclaimed, shivering. She quickly turned away, deciding against looking at the poster.

She continued down the street, gawking at all of the things around her, (except the posters).

She took to staring at the different shops. There was one with racing brooms in the window and one with owls. Suddenly, she didn't want her father to finish his errand. She knew he would take her home if he was done, and she wanted to stay in this wonderful place.

An ice cream parlor caught her attention: Florean Fortescue's. Children with large ice cream cones sat outside at tables with umbrellas over them.

Celestia wanted some ice cream like the children outside, but the poster outside of the shop read: Ice Cream 3 Sickles a Scoop.

She went down the street until she passed one building she couldn't ignore. In its left window, objects did all sorts of tricks like revolving and popping. In the other window there was a large purple poster with flashing letters.

Two wizards with red hair stood outside, levitating a sign. It read:

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

"There we go, Fred! How does that read?" one of the wizards asked as the sign stuck itself just above the doorway.

"Not too bad. It should attract some customers," the other said. They both turned around, and it was then that Celestia realized the two were twins.

They went back inside without a sideways glance at Celestia. She followed them.

The inside of the shop was just as wonderful as the outside. There were barrels and boxes of items and objects like tiny pick jars and fake wands. Celestia inspected everything, becoming more excited by the second.

A group of children were crowded around one particular box in the back of the shop. As Celestia inched closer to it, she saw that it contained fuzzy creatures that were the colors pink and purple. They emitted high-pitched squeaks and rolled around the bottom of the box. Celestia fell immediately in love with them.

"Oh, Mum, look! Aren't they adorable?" a little girl around Celestia's age told a woman beside her. They both looked wealthy.

"Excuse me!" the girl's mother called to one of the twins. "What exactly are these?"

"Oh!" the twin said, coming closer and examining the box himself. "These are miniature puffskeins. Pygmy Puffs. They're new."

"How much are they?" she asked.

"Five Sickles each," was his answer. He left when another customer called his name.

_Five Sickles each…,_ Celestia thought sadly. Her one Sickle looked pathetic compared to the contents of the wealthy woman's money pouch she just took out of her pocket.

She knew she couldn't pay for the Pygmy Puffs, but…

Celestia looked at the children who were starting to become uninterested in the box of Pygmy Puffs. They began to leave the area and head toward the front of the shop.

Soon, Celestia was the only one in the room.

What if she just took a Pygmy Puff?

Quickly, the little girl snatched one of the creatures from the bottom of the box, a pink one, and hid it in her cloak. She hurried out of the room, keeping her eyes on the floor as she went. She was almost to the front door when—

"Hey, you!" Someone grabbed her arm—the one that held the Pygmy Puff—and pulled her around. It was one of the twins. "What have you got?"

Celestia broke the twin's grip and ran for it. She ran out of the room and outside when all of a sudden, her legs were jinxed together. Her face hit the cobblestone street and the Pygmy Puff soared out of her hands.

"Give that here!" the twin yelled, lifting the curse. Celestia didn't listen. She got back up and ran away from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and away from the twin.

She didn't know how far she had run until she stood in front of the alleyway to Knockturn Alley…and a particularly large poster.

Celestia gasped.

The person in the photograph was a sneering Antonin Dolohov. He stared menacingly at the little girl who looked at the photograph in horrified amazement. What really terrified her was the word WANTED on the top.

"Hey—!" Celestia screamed.

A man, out of nowhere, covered her mouth and began dragging her down the dark alleyway. Celestia struggled as much as she could, but the man's clammy hands had her in a tight hold.

"Celestia!"

The little girl was released. She found her father standing in the shadows of Borgin and Burkes.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. She ran over to him, remembering the poster. "I…saw you on a…big poster…it said wanted on it…"

Antonin, however, ripped her from him and grabbed her hand. He turned to the man.

"Thank you, Borgin," he hissed. The man gave a somber bow and returned to the shop.

"It was wrong, wasn't it, Daddy? It was a mistake, right?" she couldn't help asking.

Antonin just glared at her and held her hand. In a split second, they were apparating back home.

A/N: You may be thinking: "Oh, my gosh! Celestia's bad like her father because she stole!" But, think about it, she didn't grow up with very good role models. Would you steal if you thought it wasn't wrong?


End file.
